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Biomedical subjects

H Michel

Publications and source records attributed to H Michel.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Is intravenous administration of branched chain amino acids effective in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy? A multicenter study.

The influence of intravenous infusion of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) on brain function in patients with liver cirrhosis and acute hepatic encephalopathy was examined using a double-blind, randomized study design. Five medical centers in France and Sweden participated, and 50 patients were studied. The patients received either BCAAs (40 gm per day) in 5% glucose or 5% glucose alone (placebo) for 5 days or until "wake up". Nutritional support was provided with equal proportions of carbohydrate and fat. During BCAA administration, plasma concentrations of aromatic amino acids and methionine fell (20 to 40%, p less than 0.05 to 0.01), and the ratio of BCAAs to aromatic amino acid concentrations increased significantly. Clinical improvement was seen in 14 of 25 BCAA-treated patients and in 12 of 25 patients receiving placebo (N.S.). EEG responses were similar in the two groups during treatment. In the BCAA group, 10 of 25 patients died in the course of the study, compared to 5 of 25 in the placebo group (N.S.); six patients died from encephalopathy in the BCAA group as compared to three among placebo-treated patients. It is concluded that BCAA administration, in the dose and composition employed in the present study, reduces the concentrations of aromatic amino acids but neither improves cerebral function nor decreases mortality in patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The influence of vasoactive agents on metabolic activity of the liver in cirrhosis: a study of the effects of posterior pituitary extract, vasopressin, and somatostatin.

We studied the influence of posterior pituitary extract, vasopressin, and somatostatin on hepatic elimination function. Hepatic clearance and its two biological determinants, hepatic blood flow and metabolic activity (clearance Vmax/Km), were determined from hepatic indocyanine green elimination at steady-state in cirrhotic patients. Intravenous infusion of posterior pituitary extract (oxytocin, 59%; vasopressin, 41%) at the constant rate of 0.3 unit per kg per hr decreased hepatic clearance (p less than 0.05) and Vmax/Km (p less than 0.05) but did not change hepatic blood flow. Intravenous infusion of vasopressin (0.3 unit per kg per hr) decreased hepatic clearance (p less than 0.05), Vmax/Km (p less than 0.05) and hepatic blood flow (p less than 0.05). Intravenous infusion of somatostatin (250 micrograms per hr following a bolus i.v. injection of 250 micrograms) decreased hepatic clearance (p less than 0.05), Vmax/Km (p less than 0.05), and hepatic blood flow (p less than 0.05). This study shows that the vasoactive agents used in the management of upper digestive bleeding in cirrhotic patients may have deleterious effects on the metabolic activity of the liver in addition to their effects on hemodynamics. The results suggest that the vasoactive substances either increased the fraction of total hepatic blood which bypassed intact hepatocytes or directly impaired metabolic activity of hepatocytes. Reduction in the metabolic activity of the liver produced by vasoactive agents may have important implications in therapy of portal hypertension.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of resting energy expenditure with liver function and nutritional status in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Resting energy expenditures (REEs) were measured in 40 alcoholic cirrhotic (AC) patients by indirect calorimetry and corrected for 24-h urinary creatinine and excretion. These REEs were compared according to the stage of severity of the cirrhosis, the nutritional status, and the presence or absence of alcoholic hepatitis (AH). Mean REE was not significantly different between the Child class A, B, and C patients, even when corrected for 24-h urinary creatinine. Mean REE was significantly less in malnourished AC than in well-nourished patients (1308 +/- 285 vs. 1531 +/- 255 kcal, p less than 0.02). However, when measured energy expenditure was corrected for 24-h urinary creatinine, the difference between the two groups of patients disappeared (1800 +/- 540 kcal/g creatinine in malnourished patients vs. 1890 +/- 780 kcal/g creatinine in well-nourished patients). Finally, there was no significant difference between the REE, corrected or not, for the 24-h urinary creatinine in AC with or without AH. Thus, when REE is normalized to lean body mass, represented by 24-h urinary creatinine, the metabolic activity in AC is not dependent on the severity of the cirrhosis, nutritional status, or existence of AH.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Dyspepsia and Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori. Results of a randomized therapeutic trial using amoxicillin versus placebos].

A population of non ulcer dyspepsia outpatients with a normal gastroscopy was assessed. Clinical complaints, the type of the gastritis, its activity and bacterial density were evaluated. Helicobacter pylori (HP) was sought by histology, urease test and culture, on 3 distinct locations. HP was found in 62 p. cent of the patients, always in association with gastritis. Urease test and histology had the same sensitivity in the detection of HP. A randomized double blind study with amoxicillin vs placebo was carried out in 23 patients. At the end of 4 week treatment, a gastroscopy with biopsies was performed. The amoxicillin treated patients were significantly cured or improved. HP was undetectable or the bacterial density was decreased in this group. After amoxicillin, urease test was more sensitive than histology. HP might be involved in the pathophysiology of non ulcer dyspepsia in patients where HP was found.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Cyriax's syndrome. A cause of diagnostic error in abdominal pains].

The slipping rib syndrome is characterized by upper abdominal pain due to irritation of the intercostal nerve by incomplete dislocation of the costal cartilage of the 8th, 9th, or 10th ribs. Twenty-three new cases are reported and the literature is reviewed. Diagnosis is only clinical. The pain is precipitated by movement and certain postures; it is faithfully reproduced by pressure on one particular point of the costal margin and is relieved by local injection of an anaesthetic. Pain from a slipping rib is usually attributed to visceral causes, which is a source of diagnostic errors.

Abdomen↗